Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
Hardly a man in the world has an opinion upon morals, political, or religion which he got otherwise than through his associations and sympathies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our beliefs about morals, politics, and religion are largely shaped by the people we associate with and empathize with.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the idea that individual opinions on complex subjects such as morals, politics, and religion are not formed in isolation but are rather influenced by our social interactions and emotional connections. It suggests that our views are often a reflection of the beliefs of those around us, emphasizing the importance of social context in shaping our understanding of the world.
Themes
OpinionsMoralityPoliticsReligionAssociationsSympathies
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about differing moral beliefs, this quote could be used to illustrate how personal associations shape our views.
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To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
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In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
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